Kilkenny on Ice reveal 'devastating' reasons behind cancellation decision

Kilkenny on Ice was preparing for another big freeze this year as they were getting ready for a return to Cillín Hill in Kilkenny. 

"We were very excited to return to Cillín Hill," says Tony Coy of Kilkenny on Ice, "but we were totally flattened by the rising cost of our public liability insurance."

Kilkenny on Ice has been one of the focal points for Christmas in Kilkenny since 2010 and had run an incredibly enjoyable, safe and affordable family focused event but were faced with an unprecedented hike in insurance premium costs which made their event unaffordable. 

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Kilkenny on Ice should have been celebrating its 10th year of operation in Kilkenny this year.

"We were hoping to build on our success to date," Tony explains. "We had been sourcing insurance since May of this year with some companies engaging with us and others telling us that it was too soon to go to the market as we were a long way from opening in November.

"As the time got nearer some of the insurance companies came back and told us that they could not secure an underwriter for our insurance anywhere in the market.

"We were left with a small few options and got an indication of our insurance which was 300% more than we had paid before but we decided that we would try and soak that up for the first year back and hopefully ride out the storm until things improved."

Tony and the team then started to source all their utilities and very quickly noticed that everything had 'increased in price by roughly 300%'.

Still not deterred by this, they ploughed on and kept negotiating their insurance policy to get the best deal bearing in mind that they have an impeccable health and safety record with zero claims.

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"As we prepared to start advertising and pre-build operations we were dealt a devastating blow by the insurers stating that only one underwriter would take our policy and the cost had increased to 700%," Tony continues.

"Another crushing condition of our insurance was that we would have to cover the excess on each potential claim up to the first €25,000 which in reality is self-insurance in a time where insurance claims are down 42% since 2020 but the premium has gone up 700%.

"This is something that we cant understand and the general consensus is that there is no appetite for the 'high risk leisure industry' in Ireland.

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"We were crushed, because this was a figure that was wholly unaffordable to us, and we knew we couldn’t pass this on to our patrons as tickets prices would have to be increased by 50% and in the current climate we know the pressures that parents and families are under without having their children disappointed at not being able to afford their usual trips to Kilkenny on Ice.

"The decision to cancel Kilkenny on Ice for 2022 was not taken lightly but as a family run business we would have had to invest our life savings just to get the doors opened and with no guarantee of ever recovering a penny. We were truly devastated for all our patrons, staff, schools and local suppliers."

Kilkenny on Ice have accommodated many schools, clubs and groups over the years and have been very proud to support the local community through the employment of up to 30 casual staff from Kilkenny.

Almost all the materials and services used in Kilkenny on Ice are sourced from 40 local companies.

Kilkenny on Ice have spent over two million euro in taxes, rents, rates, wages and local suppliers in the previous nine years.

To date Kilkenny on Ice have helped raised over €50,000 for local, national and international charities. 

They also sponsored many local groups and clubs and helped raise thousands of euros for Temple St Children’s Hospital over the years.

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They also had a 'Sensory Session' quiet time every Sunday morning from 11am - 12pm.

"At Kilkenny on Ice have always rewarded patrons and online supporters," Tony added.

"We entered all our participants and followers in a fantastic draw to win a family holiday in Euro Disney in Paris, France.

"This was due the feedback received from our previous holiday competition that reached 130,000 people on social media and really put Kilkenny on the map.

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"On behalf of everyone in our Kilkenny on Ice family we are sincerely sorry that we have no option but to cancel our wonderful event for this year. We wish you all a very happy and peaceful Christmas and hope to see you all again next year when we hope these current challenging times are far behind us."